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Mark Sanford's confessional campaign

South Carolina, one of the most conservative states in the country, might seem an unlikely place for a pol with a checkered personal history to launch a comeback. But the Lowcountry, a coastal area full of Northeastern retirees where Sanford began his political career two decades ago, is less socially conservative than the more religious Upstate.

As Sanford hit the campaign trail last week, voters seemed less interested in his personal life than in his policy platform. At a stop at a senior center in Okatie, Sanford fielded questions about everything from sequestration to campaign finance reform. Not once was he asked about his divorce from his ex-wife, Jenny Sanford, or about his upcoming nuptial to his Argentine fiancé, María Belén Chapur.

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“He had some good points. He apologized for his misdeeds,” said Arthur Broska, a 70-year-old defense company retiree. “I’m willing to give him another chance. Look, people make mistakes.”

In an interview, Sanford said that he reached out to Jenny Sanford — who‘d been considering her own bid before deciding against it — to discuss his plans. Mark Sanford also said his fiancé and four sons gave him their blessing to enter the race.

Sanford, who last served in the House in 2000, said he wants to return to Washington to work on cutting federal spending, long a pet cause of his. After spending much of the past two years in seclusion working on his family farm, Sanford said his “personal storm,” as he called it, had given him a new perspective on public service.

“I probably have more to offer now as a human being than at any point of my life because there’s an added level of reflection, of empathy,” he said. “In other words, whether it’s through circumstance or one’s own choices, really at a gut level understanding where one’s coming from is not really possible unless there’s some personal experience of misfortune.”

The former governor, known for his easygoing style and love of retail politics, is seeming to savor his return to the campaign trail. Ditching a suit and tie in favor of a gray Columbia Sportswear pullover sweatshirt, he lingered with crowds long after his campaign events ended, expounding on his policy positions.

Not everyone, however, is happy to see Sanford back in the ring.

“It’s not like he went out on top – he went out at a time when there was a lot of embarrassment and dishonesty,” said state Sen. Paul Thurmond, the son of ex-Sen. Strom Thurmond who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2010 and is neutral in the current race. “I think we have a lot of people running who don’t have that kind of baggage.”

But Sanford’s opponents are finding that running against a high-profile former governor — no matter how damaged — isn’t so easy. The handful of other candidates who attended the Hilton Head lunch were overshadowed by Sanford, who spoke and answered questions from the audience first.